On October 26, the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) released its preseason poll, where Women’s Basketball was ranked to be in second place, which was decided by the nine head coaches of the conference. Last season, the Ducks finished second in the conference, with a 19-7 overall record and a 12-4 conference record. The team made it all the way to the MAC Freedom Championship, where they lost to top-seeded DeSales University, ranked first in this season’s preseason poll with all eight first place votes.
Additionally, on November 9, the Ducks played their season opener at Kean University, taking home the win at a margin of 76-60. Last season, they defeated Kean with a score of 66-48.
On November 13, the Ducks traveled to the Charles Wolf Gymnasium at York College of Pennsylvania to play in the 15th annual Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, where they defeated Moravian University 87-84 in double overtime. This marked the first meeting between the two programs, and it allowed the Ducks to improve to a 2-1 record.
This game showcased many impressive performances. Sophomore Lucy Alberici scored a career-high 21 points and was named to the Coaches vs. Cancer All-Tournament Team. Junior Elissa Nsenkyire scored 20 points, and graduate student Jess Broad added 23 points. The team forced overtime after overcoming a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter. In the first overtime period, Nsenkyire made a pair of free throws to give the team an early lead. In the second overtime period, first-year Leyla Castro helped the Ducks take the lead again by making a basket with only 37 seconds left in the period. Additionally, the Ducks held Moravian to one for ten in shooting. The Ducks finished the game with a 40% shooting percentage, while Moravian only finished with 31%.
After such a tight game, head coach Megan Haughey commented, “I thought we fought hard for a full 50 minutes today. We had a great offensive production from a variety of players and made our free throws count at the end of regulation and in overtime.”
Concerning the team’s more recent games, on November 16, the Ducks defeated The College of New Jersey with a score of 63-56 to round out their home opener. On November 19, the Ducks also defeated Montclair State University at a margin of 80-61, and on November 22 they defeated Hunter College 83-48. They will play their conference opener at Delaware Valley on November 30.
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